19 Injured on Board PAL Plane from S'pore

PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER SUNDAY

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1998

By ARMAND NOCUM

A PHILIPPINE Airlines plane bound for Manila from Singapore was yesterday rocked violently by air turbulence, resulting in the injury of 19 of its 223 Filipino and foreign passengers.

Flight PR-502, an Airbus 300-30, managed to make a normal touchdown at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 1:25 p.m.

One passenger, identified as Jose Fausto Gonzales, was taken to the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Pasay City for treatment of serious injuries.

PAL Senior Vice President Avelino Zapanta said Gonzales, 39, an overseas Filipino worker who hails from Cebu, appeared to have suffered a broken neck, among other injuries.

The 18 other injured passengers had minor bruises and were in a mild state of shock. They were taken to the Naia clinic for treatment.

Dr. Ma. Elena Querijeo, attending physician at the airport, allowed them to go home about an hour later.

But she advised them to continue taking medication and undergo an X-ray check.

Zapanta said PAL would take care of all the medical needs of those injured.

The plane was said to have twice run into air turbulence at 17,000 feet, as it was entering Philippine air space. At that time, the crew was serving lunch.

It appeared that most of those injured did not have their seat belts on.

Passengers said the first instance of turbulence slammed them against the overhead luggage bins, and scattered plates, glasses and cutlery, as well as magazines and hand-carried bags, all over the plane floor.

The second instance was milder than the first, they said.

The pilot reportedly did not request the radio tower for an emergency landing, but asked that an ambulance be made available for those on board the plane.

PAL officials at the Naia declined to name the plane's pilot and co-pilot.

They said air turbulence was a common occurrence that nobody could stop or detect.